Dancing demo in Beijing

MAINLAND CHINA 

Scenes from our hotel in Xi'An, the Grand Noble, were typical of the big cities we visited in China:

The Grand Noble had the best breakfast buffet!

Sadly, I don't think any of us tried the wheat glute while we had the chance.

You can tell that in China people find eating something to lose their head about.  as you can see, Craig takes eating quite seriously.  Forkhead and I, on the other hand are a little more relaxed.

Bell Tower, Xi'An

We landed in Beijing around midday, and through Craig's great language skills and investigations discovered a shuttle that took us to the international hotel area, near the center of the city.   Craig got directions to our hotel which he had been told was within walking distance--a very long walk! 

We walked for over an hour in the blazing sun (the only clear day during our stay in Beijing), hauling and carrying our luggage, Bruce doing the lion's share of the work without complaint. (I got so accustomed to carrying luggage that I was considering becoming a Sherpa in the Himalayas.  The only problem was that I was not in the Himalayas, although they were closer than our hotel.)

Finally, we arrived at the Crown Plaza on Wanfujing in the center of town, less than a mile from Tianenmen Square and the Forbidden City.  It proved to be a great location, close to several malls, many restaurants, and the subway.  The hotel was very nice, with the interior open to the lobby nine stories high and two glass elevators (out of four), an indoor swimming pool and jacuzzi on the ninth floor--our floor.  We checked it out one night but were too tired to take advantage of it. 

Craig and I carefully planned out what we were going to do and how we would get there.  Craig was so confident in my navigation skills that he gave me a little card that had instructions on it in Chinese telling a possible cab driver where our hotel was.

It was not usual to have young girls stop us on the street or in the mall so they could have their picture taken with me. . . I mean Craig.  (Although it did happen to me once!)

Bruce tries out a wrinkle-smoothing patch.  He didn't buy it.

The Apple store was really something.  All glass or clear plastic. The Apple store was contrary to Craig's loyalties so he often walked out of the way to avoid even going into the store.  I do not think Craig will be getting an I phone in the forseeable future.

We inadvertently captured the Chinese solution to diapers in the landfill.

Nighttime on Wangfujing Street was amazing.  People were just getting started when we were about dead tired.  The street really did come to life--lights everywhere and lots of stores thriving.  The central shopping district was within a few minutes of our hotel.  The streets were of granite rather than asphalt and the prices would make San Francisco seem economical.  Off the main drag, however, it was a completely different story.

In the evening there were street dancers who attracted quite a crowd.  Craig caught on quickly and was soon the center of attention.  I went back to the hotel and what did I find, Craig's tap shoes!  When I returned with them Craig put on a show that was a real crowd pleaser.

You can see that I had a few steps myself.  You can also see why Craig said that it was painful to watch me dance!

Craig's fans couldn't resist capturing him in action.

Mary Lee almost got a Charlie horse in her finger from all of the Camera work.  She was amazing.

Xi'An and the Terra Cotta Warriors

Breakfast was included with our stay at the Fly With Pleasure Hotel in Ningbo.  It was probably the most authentic (and least tasty) of the meals we ate on our trip:

Breakfast buffet at the Fly With Pleasure Hotel

Lunch or dinner might have been even better, considering the plastic models of meal options.  At first I thought they were real and I was very impressed, thinking they must be expecting a huge crowd later in the day. Craig said similar displays were common in restaurants in Taiwan as well. 

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There were several helpful signs displayed at the airport.  You certainly don't want to be late for a flight!

We arrived in Xi'An in the early afternoon and discovered that the terra cotta warrior museum was located about an hour from the airport in a different direction from our hotel.  Fortunately, we were able to book a van and driver to take us to the warriors and later to our hotel.  Once we arrived at the site, the driver arranged for an English-speaking guide to take us around.

One of the buildings housing terra cotta warriors at Xi'An

The warriors  were impressive!  The area housing the pits where the warriors are located is enormous--the pits themselves are huge.  And according to our guide, they estimate they have uncovered only a fraction of them.  The warriors and mausoleum, created by Emperor Qin, took 38 years to construct, from 247 to 208 B.C.

The warriors in front have been restored, while those towards the back are as they were found.

Archeologists believe Emperor Qin had the warriors created not only to protect and fight for him in the afterlife but to attack his enemies spiritually in mortality.

He hired skilled craftsmen to create a warriors in the image of real soldiers and If the likeness wasn't good enough the artist would be killed. 

Notice how the face of each warrior is different.

Teams continue the painstaking work of restoration.

The warriors were originally painted with vivid colors, but the colors that remained faded within a day after being unearthed, which is one reason they haven't excavated more areas.  They are working with the Germans to perfect fixatives that will preserve the beautiful original colors.

 

When the project was finally finished the Emperor Qin had thousands of officials and craftsmen killed so that no on would ever know about it.  Indeed, it remained a secret until about 1974, when farmers discovered fragments of the warriors while they were digging a well. 

It is sobering to consider the cruelty and selfishness involved in building the Emperor's tomb and accompanying terra cotta warriors, yet the museum and excavation efforts also represent a tribute to the great skill of the artisans.  According to the book we bought, the terra cotta warriors represent a huge leap forward in pottery technology.

Amazingly, the leader of the farmers who discovered the warriors was actually at the gift store we visited as we were departing, signing books under a larger photograph of a younger version of himself! For a few dollars he signed our book and for a few more, he posed for a photo with Craig. 

Craig with the farmer who discovered the terra cotta warriors

 Craig bought a terra cotta archer made from the same clay as the originals, while we bought a set of smaller warriors made from lower quality local clay.  Jade is also mined in the nearby mountains.

In the evening, we enjoyed a beautiful show of traditional dance and music.

The Tang Dynasty show

Unexpected stopover in Ningbo

Before leaving Taichung on June 25th, we bought face masks.  Not that we ever wore them, however, even in the smog of Beijing! 

We had one enormous mango left, which we ate waiting for the train to Taipei to catch our flight to China.

Sweet and delicious!

Again, I set my shutter speed on 1/500, and took pictures of the country side as we speed towards Taipei. You never know what you're going to get at 100+ miles an hour!

I was pleased when I saw that I had inadvertently captured a Daoist temple in the field!

Many of the freeways were raised, especially in the cities--a very expensive way to build, according to Bruce.

Amazing to see lush green fields right next to bustling cities.

 It's a little hard to see in this photo, but every once in a while we would past a cluster of rooms or small houses attached to each other around a courtyard.  Based on the book I've been listening to, The Good Earth, by Pearl Buck, I wonder if they would just add on a room when needed.

Here's Bruce's account of our adventure when our flight landed in Ningbo:

No  matter how you look at it, it is unsettling to be in an airport where your connecting flight has been cancelled.  Such was our case in Ninbo, China.  We were headed for Xi'An from Taipei and our flight had been delayed about an hour.  There was nothing we could do.  We knew we were going to be in thick trouble when we saw the lines and realized that we needed to get into China with the usual passport check and visa review, then get a boarding pass, go through security and finally make it to the gate.  I gulped hard when I saw the sign, "Gate closes 15 minutes before departure."  I glanced at my watch again.  The connecting China Eastern flight to Xi'An was supposed to leave at 2:00 p.m. and my watch said 10:50.  After correcting for the 15 hour difference between Tucson and Ningbo, I realized it was 1:50 p.m. local time and there was no way we were going to make the scheduled connection.  When we finally made it through the first line admitting us into the country, we had nowhere else to go.  It took Craig only a moment to assess the situation and ask someone with a name tag and then lead us to the customer service counter.

There were three young girls, probably in their twenties, at the desk.  With a broad smile and sparkling eyes, Craig greeted the girls.  I could tell from their surprised expressions that they were amazed that this tall blond American would be speaking so comfortably in Mandarin.  From their manner it was easy to see that somehow Craig was making them feel at ease.  His friendly and laughing demeanor had to have been a welcome approach after handling complaining customers.  When Craig explained our predicament to them he was surprised to learn that our flight hadn't departed after all--it had been cancelled!  His friendly approach coupled with his appreciative compliments had all three of the girls not just wanting to help, but  vying for his attention. 

He asked for the comment book and began writing in Chinese how kind and helpful these girls were.  He complimented their boss on hiring such capable and helpful people and signed his comments with the added note--Craig Call, BYU International Folk Dancer.  He even did a little ditty as he explained what that meant.  The girls laughed and joked, pleased that they had the good fortune of meeting such a celebrity.

As it turned out, there was not another flight to Xi'An that day, but Craig's playful banter had not been in vain.  He arranged for a hotel and meals (dinner and breakfast) plus shuttle to and from the airport all on the airline's nickle.  The attendant's were happy, their boss pleased, and we had an adventure awaiting us in Ningbo for a day.

Back to Mary Lee: 
We checked the guide book to see what might be interesting in Ningbo and found only a short paragraph describing two worthy sights:  Tianyige, the oldest private library in China, and a Portuguese Catholic Church.  We opted for the library, and it was very interesting.  It gave us a sense of how a wealthy family lived in the 1500s during the Ming dynasty.  It looked similar to what was described in The Good Earth about the home of a wealthy family.

Stone mosaics on the walkways

The hotel that Air China put us up in was located only a few moments from the airport. The translated name was charming:  "Fly With Pleasure Hotel."  Bruce said it was constructed well, but it was practically deserted and not very appealing--dusty and dark. Even though there was a restaurant, I seemed to recall that the attendant at Air China had suggested we have dinner elsewhere.  So after visiting the library in downtown Ningbo, we crossed the street into what looked like an area with hotels and restaurants. We spotted the Howard Johnson, a very tall, very large hotel complex, and headed for it.  We weren't disappointed!

There was a dinner buffet, but it cost $45 per person, so we opted to order a la carte. While we were waiting for our food, I walked around the buffet, and when I returned to our table, I said, "Well, I'm disappointed that because we're not doing the buffet, I won't be able to have the poached bull frog."  Without missing a beat, Craig replied, "Oh, I know how you have missed that," and we all burst out laughing!

Poached bullfrog

Our food was very good--I had a seafood stew with local shrimp:

As we were finishing dinner, two musicians came up to a small stage and began performing love ballads from the 1970s and 80s in English. The girl had a lovely voice. Later they set up in the lobby, where we took this picture.